The transfer materials into, and products out of, a glovebox/isolator may be achieved using a double door transfer system. Such systems are known in the art as double door transfer ports, rapid transfer ports, alpha-beta transfer ports or double port transfer exchanges commercially available from numerous manufacturers. Canisters are used to transport hazardous and/or sterile material from one containment enclosure to another. The container is “docked” within a from one containment enclosure to another. The container is “docked” within a port in a sealed fashion and then from within the glovebox the port door is opened. Re-docking of the container to the port may be accomplished using, for instance, a bayonet system in which the container is twisted about its axis to dock into place at the port.
The transfer container has an exposed gasket sealing surface which is known in the art as the “ring of concern”. This “ring of concern” has the potential for transfer of contamination outside the confines of the container. When the container is used to house a powder or similar material, the risk of contamination is increased by the ease in which the powder may be displaced and agitated during transport or storage
Radioactive/Toxic contaminants, particularly alpha-emitting radiation sources, are of particular concern in a double door device. The energy level of alpha-emitting contaminants is sufficiently strong that radioactive particles can migrate or “bounce” and can easily spread along a surface. Accordingly, there remains interest in providing an apparatus and process which prevents the spread of radioactive materials which may be handled through a double door device.
One approach in the art to address the “ring of concern” is to use built in heat or UV sterilizing systems to prevent biological contamination of the “ring of concern”. Other systems require cleaning and sterilization protocols for non-biological material which may adhere to the “ring of concern”. While such approaches are useful in specialized applications, there remains a need which minimizes the possibility in which contamination will escape from the contaminated “ring of concern” gasket area. Accordingly, there remains room for variation and improvement within the art.